VOTE

11.28.11

Complaints, Injuries in Egypt Polls

Tara Todras-Whitehill / AP Photo

Voting on the first day of Egypt’s historic monthlong parliamentary elections—the first since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted—has come to a close. Egypt's Ministry of Health said there were 25 election-related injuries Monday, but all the cases were “unintentional,” displacing fears of widespread violence during the polls. The country’s National Human Rights Council also reported 391 complaints on the first day. There were reports of delays to the start of voting in some districts, campaigning at polling stations, and religious slogans used by candidates. Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of the Supreme Electoral Commission, said during a press conference that he was not responsible for the delays. Ibrahim also said the turnout was much higher than expected.